Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-08-11
A THIEVES PARADISE.
Remarkable Condition Of California Afse
tho Discovery of Gold.

Remarkable Condition Of California After
tho Discovery of Gold.
A remarkable state Of affairs existed
in California for the first year after
the discovery of gold. The first miners
were made up in great measure OF
men already there; they were honest
men, and had deserted the towns to
dig gold and not to defraud their
neighbors. Many were known to each
other, and few were wholly unknown.
Peacefully and in a primitive way each
for himself picked the precious metal
from river-beds and crevices, washed
it from the sands that lined the
streams, or sought place of his own
to dig for it, with no desire to en-
croach ON ground chosen by another.
Rights were respected; theft was I'M
known. A pick or shovel thrown upon
the ground, sticks driven into tn earth,
or written or posted notice that a
certain spot was claimed, was suffi-
cient to secure it against all corners.
Miners lived much in the open air, in
cloth tenements or rude huts, leaving
their gold dust in bags or bottles I'M
guarded in tent or cabin. The mer-
chandise of the trader was secured
only by walls Of cloth, which could be
easily cut through with a pocket-knife.
Goods stacked up by the roadside,
miles from any camp, remained undis-
turbed for weeks and months. Horses
and cattle were safe to roam at large.
After the winter rains had ceased and
water for washing gold had disap-
peared, in certain localities piles of rich
dirt were thrown up to be washed out
when rain should come again. AL
though these heaps were often the re-
suit of great labor and contained
much wealth, they remained undis-
turbed during the summer, and when
autumn came fell to their rightful
owners. Differences of opinion were
settled by leaving it to the crowd "
And so it was the first corners found
less discord existing here than any
where else in Christendom.
Vessels arrived so fast in San
Francisco that they could find no &C.
commodations for their cargoes on
shore. Great quantities of merchan-
disc of all kinds were discharged and
piled up along the beach. All of it
was wholly exposed. although much of
it was valuable. Yet all this time
there was scarcely lock on the door of
any dwelling, store or warehouse in
San Francisco. During this truly gold
ell age of integrity it never seemed
to occur to those honest folks that
there were any persons in the world
who would wrongfully take their
property from them. 1t is said that
there was but one case of theft in San
Francisco prior to October, 1S49. and
this was q Mexican who stole some
blankets. for which he was publicly
whipped on the plaza.
During the autumn of 1913 there
were no such things along the
slopes of the Sierras as government,
judges, tax collectors or other officers
of the law. All were absolutely free,
and were thrown upon their good be-
havior. But in good time it seemed to
dawn upon the criminals of the world
that a gold-yielding wilderness with
out Jail or gallows must be the very
paradise of thieves. And with the null
titudes of honest and order-loving men
came crowds from the purlieus of crime
colonies poured out their
and cities emptied their slums.
After landing at San Francisco they
usually first made tour of the mines,
there forming the acquaintance of
other gentlemen of their profession,
whose projects they were quite ready
to join. In this new field of enterprise
every thing seemed to favor them; the
absence of strong government and the
physical condition of the country were
all that the most ambitious could de-
sire. The constantly moving from
place to place of miners and traders,
and the intermixture of strangers, all
tended to discourage inquiry, to facili-
ate the operations of outlaws, and to
allow them to move quickly from place
20 place without exciting suspicion.
In particular, the lonely and exposed
condition of the roads. and the large
of treasure constantly passing
over them, offered alluring epportuni-
les for highway robbery. Stage-rob-
ping. as practiced by the profess
sion in California, was rather
I chivalrous occupation. The
gentlemen of the road risked their
ives for whatever happened to be in
he express box, and, if no opposition
vas made, they generally contented
with this, and neither
'obbed or insulted the passengers.
The English convicts from Australia
we're the worst element infesting the
They made their head
quarters in San Francisco, at the base
# Telegraph hill. On one side rose
he hill, broken and rugged, throwing
tut spurs in various directions, and in
places presenting to the tide a lofty
duff on whose summit even the squat
err had not ventured to perch his eyry.
BOUND the base and up the little ra-
ines were huts and tents little larger
han kennels, and among them were
catered unfortunately low dance
nd drinking houses. The rendezvous
f thieves was in the heart of the dis
rict and was called Sidney Town.
1ere, during the day, schemes were |
oncocted that were to be carried out |
lnder cover of night The meetings |
ad their orators, and leaders were |
laced in charge of pillaging parties.
ingly or in pairs they would peram-
ulate the unlighted and unmatched
treets. robbing. demolishing. or MUIR
ering, as passion dictated. They had
way of enticing or forcing their vic